Three types of graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) nanosheets were derived from direct thermal condensation of urea, melamine, and dicyandiamide, respectively. As the sample (uCN) synthesized from urea exhibited porous morphology and highest surface area among other gCN, anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles were then in-situ deposited on uCN via solvothermal process without further calcination. The resultant Ti/uCN_x samples remained with higher surface area and exhibited visible-light activity. The derived band structure of each sample also confirmed its ability to photoreduce CO₂. XPS results revealed surface compositions of each sample. Those functional groups governed adsorption of reactant, interfacial interaction, electron transfer rate, and consequently influenced the yield of products. Carbon monoxide and methanol were detected from LED-lamp illuminated samples under appropriate moisture content. Samples with higher ratio of terminal amine groups produced more CO. The presence of hydroxyl groups promoted the initial conversion of methanol. The obtained Ti/uCN_0.5 and Ti/uCN_1.5 samples exhibited better quantum efficiency toward CO₂ conversion and demonstrated stability to consistently produce CO under cycling photoreaction.

Flexible and thermally stable polyimide (PI) films containing a hierarchical surface structure were synthesized as substrates to support visible-light active cuprous oxide for photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide for the first time. With the nanocasting technique, the surface structure on the leaves of Xanthosoma sagittifolium was successfully duplicated on PI films. Followed by the ion-exchange process and adequate thermal treatment, cuprous oxide nanoparticles were successfully immobilized on the artificial PI leaves and exhibited the capability to photoreduce carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide under visible-light illumination. With the selection of biomimetic structures and adjustment of fabrication parameters, the hydrophobicity and optical absorption edge of the photocatalytic film were tunable. An increase in hydrophobicity improved the yield of carbon monoxide. The introduction of a hierarchical structure on the surface and cuprous oxide within the matrix dramatically enhanced the thermal stability of the PI film. The flexible photocatalytic film is a promising material for the applications requiring high mechanical and thermal stability, such as industrial flue-gas treatments.

One facile approach to synthesize colorless polyimide (PI) film with enhanced dimensional stability and optical transparency is presented. With the optimum weight ratio of cosolvent GBL/DMAc, the PI film demonstrates the highest thermal stability and optical transparency. A further improvement in dimensional stability and optical transparency is achieved by blending silica sol and coupling agent in PI solution. The PI-50wt%SiO₂ film exhibits a low coefficient of thermal expansion of 26 ppm/°C, high optical transmittance at 550 nm of 90.1%, and an ultra-low yellow index less than 1.4, indicating its potential application as substrate material in advanced microelectronic applications. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials for the SI Figures.]